caribbean basin agricultural biotechnology annual ... gain publications/agricultural... · section...

THIS REPORT CONTAINS ASSESSMENTS OF COMMODITY AND TRADE ISSUES MADE BY

USDA STAFF AND NOT NECESSARILY STATEMENTS OF OFFICIAL U.S. GOVERNMENT

POLICY

Date:

GAIN Report Number:

Approved By:

Prepared By:

Report Highlights:

Biotech regulations have been virtually non-existent in the Caribbean. However, that may change in the

years ahead as several Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries continue to work toward

implementing National Biosafety Frameworks (NBFs) in order to comply with their obligations under

the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB), to which they are parties. To date, only one CARICOM

country (St. Kitts and Nevis) has enacted biosafety legislation. Thus, much work remains to be done

before NBF’s are fully operational throughout the region.

Omar González, International Trade Specialist

Richard A. Battaglia, Director

Caribbean Biosafety and Biotechnology

Agricultural Biotechnology Annual

Caribbean Basin

CB1711

11/17/2017

Required Report - public distribution

Table of Contents

Section I: Executive Summary: .......................................................................................................................... 3

Section II: Plant and Animal Biotechnology ...................................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER 1: PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY ........................................................................................................ 4 PART A: Production and Trade ............................................................................................................................. 4 PART B: Policy ..................................................................................................................................................... 6 PART C: Marketing ............................................................................................................................................. 10

CHAPTER 2. ANIMAL BIOTECHNOLOGY: ................................................................................................... 11 PART D: Production and Trade ........................................................................................................................... 11 PART E: Policy.................................................................................................................................................... 12 PART F: Marketing ............................................................................................................................................. 12

Section I: Executive Summary: Several institutions within the Caribbean Basin Agricultural Trade Office’s (CBATO) region of

coverage are conducting biotech research on crops such as sugarcane, cassava, papaya, rice, coconuts,

cocoa, coffee, peppers, and spices and to a lesser extent on ornamentals and animals [1]. This research

has yielded a number of advances, including developing transgenic papaya varieties resistant to

devastating papaya viruses as well as the development of biochemical compounds suitable for use as

bio-pesticides. However, the actual commercial production of genetically engineered (GE) products will

take many years. The Caribbean region is also not yet at the stage where animal genetic engineering (or

cloning of animals) is being developed.

The CBATO is not aware of any specific requirements related to the importation of GE products in its

region. Currently, the United States is the region’s main supplier of food and agricultural products.

Nearly 100 percent of all corn, soybean, cotton and canola products are imported from the United States.

Suppliers may encounter greater regulation of GE products as well as increased consumer awareness in

the years ahead. Over the past several years most of the countries within CARICOM have worked at

developing their own draft NBF; a combination of policy, legal, administrative and technical

instruments geared toward addressing safety for the environment and human health in relation to modern

biotechnology [2]. This is being done with the support of the United Nations/Global Environment

Facility (UNEP/GEF), which is helping these countries meet their obligations under the CPB [3]. To

date, only St. Kitts and Nevis has enacted any biosafety legislation and no country in the region,

including St. Kitts and Nevis, has a fully functional biosafety framework in place.

[1] The CBATO islands of coverage are: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British

Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Grenada, Montserrat, the former Netherlands

Antilles (Curaçao, Bonaire, Sint Maarten, Saba & St. Eustatius), St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, Saint Martin, St. Barthélemy,

St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, and Turks & Caicos Islands. For purposes of this report, Cuba is

excluded from the CBATO’s region of coverage.

[2] CARICOM Member States are: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana,

Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and

Tobago (CARICOM Associate Members are: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos

Islands).

[3] CARICOM Member States that are Parties to the CPB are: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize,

Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad

and Tobago. It should be noted that Jamaica is not part of the UNEP/GEF Regional Project for Implementing NBFs in the

Caribbean because it did not ratify the CPB until after the project was initiated. Instead Jamaica is carrying out its own NBF

project.

Section II: Plant and Animal Biotechnology

CHAPTER 1: PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY

PART A: Production and Trade a) Product Development:

There are no GE plants or crops under development in the CBATO region that are poised to be

commercialized in the near future. Overall, agricultural production throughout the region is minimal,

and most countries within the region must import the majority of their agricultural product needs. Total

land area is 23,783 sq. km. (9,183 sq. miles), roughly the size of New Hampshire. Of this, only about

seven percent of the land is arable and an even smaller percentage is actually utilized for farming.

Nonetheless, research institutions throughout the Caribbean have recognized that production of GE

plants and crops could lead to an increase in yields and reduced use of water in agriculture. These

institutions have identified several local products (sugarcane, cotton, rice, coconuts, cocoa, coffee,

peppers, spices, and anthuriums among others) that could be improved using agricultural biotechnology.

Some of the institutions leading the way with research on some of these plants and crops are: the

University of the West Indies (UWI), the Caribbean Agricultural and Development Institute (CARDI),

and the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI) in Guyana.

b) Commercial Production:

In the absence of a fully-functioning biosafety legal framework in place to oversee the production or

release of LMOs, countries in the region are being cautious when it comes to GE crop cultivation. In

essence, there are no known field trials or commercial production of GE products taking place in the

CBATO region.

c) Exports:

Not applicable.

d) Imports:

Currently, the United States is the region’s main supplier of food and agricultural products. In some

cases, particularly for imports of the consumer-oriented products category, products from third countries

are transshipped through the United States. The following tables show the region’s imports of some key

GE products, including the consumer-oriented products category, which is made up largely of products

derived from or containing GE corn, soybean and/or canola.

Reporting Countries Export Statistics (Partner: CBATO Islands), Corn

Country Unit 2016 Market Share (%)

United States Tons 136,149 99.0

Other Tons 1,346 1.0

Total Tons 137,495 100.0

Source: Global Trade Atlas

Reporting Countries Export Statistics (Partner: CBATO Islands), Soybeans



Other Tons 54 0.2

Total Tons 29,963 100.0 Source: Global Trade Atlas

Reporting Countries Export Statistics (Partner: CBATO Islands), Soybean Meal



Other Tons 226 0.5


Reporting Countries Export Statistics (Partner: CBATO Islands), Cotton


United States Tons 59 100.0

Other Tons 0 0.0

Total Tons 59 100.0 Source: Global Trade Atlas

Reporting Countries Export Statistics (Partner: CBATO Islands), Rapeseed, Colza or Mustard Oil and their

fractions


United States Tons 970 69.5

Canada Tons 388 27.8

Other Tons 38 2.7


Reporting Countries Export Statistics (Partner: CBATO Islands), Consumer-Oriented Products


United States US Dollars 900,100,773 56.1

Netherlands US Dollars 90,684,537 5.7

Brazil US Dollars 83,617,919 5.2

U.K. US Dollars 71,353,052 4.5

New Zealand US Dollars 65,168,840 4.1

Canada US Dollars 49,836,910 3.1

Costa Rica US Dollars 49,782,711 3.1

Other US Dollars 292,596,654 18.3

Total US Dollars 1,603,141,396 100.0 Note: Export numbers shown in US dollars to avoid inconsistencies created by different units of measure for quantity.

Source: Global Trade Atlas

e) Food Aid:

The CBATO region is normally not a food aid recipient. However, as a result of the devastating 2017

hurricane season, some islands (e.g. Dominica) may become food aid recipients. It is unknown whether

any GE products have been part of any food aid programs in the region.

f) Trade Barriers:

Post is not aware of any specific requirements related to the importation of GE products in its region [1].

Within the Caribbean region, CARICOM is focused on establishing the Caribbean Single Market and

Economy (CSME) to facilitate the free movement of CARICOM-origin products between Member

States. It remains to be seen whether CARICOM will develop regional rules affecting trade in GE

products.

PART B: Policy a) Regulatory Framework:

Most of the countries within CARICOM are seeking to address their plant biotechnology requirements

through a NBF. To date, only St. Kitts and Nevis has enacted any biosafety legislation. While an

important first step toward establishing its comprehensive NBF, implementing regulations have yet to be

finalized and thus the regulatory and institutional structures are not yet operational. None of the other

CARICOM countries have enacted any biosafety legislation.

The Regional Project for Implementing NBFs

The $13 million UNEP/GEF Regional Project for Implementing NBFs in the Caribbean, which is being

executed by UWI, is assisting the 12 CARICOM countries that are parties to the CPB with

implementation of their obligations [2]. This project is a continuation of previous UNEP/GEF biosafety

capacity building efforts in the region dating back to 2001.

The overall goal of the UNEP/GEF project is to implement effective, operable, transparent and

sustainable NBFs, and deliver global benefits that are compliant with the CPB in the Caribbean sub-

region countries while also protecting against any potential risks from the introduction of LMOs. The

four project aims are to:

• “Establish institutional (policy/legal) frameworks for biosafety at both the national and regional levels

that will allow Parties to the CPB to utilize modern biotechnology in compliance with this Protocol;

• Facilitate the establishment, enhancement and operation of institutional capacities as well as technical

and technological resources among the participating Caribbean Member States for the detection,

assessment and management of potential risks from modern biotechnology (in combination with

invasive alien species (IAS) where appropriate) at the national and regional levels;

• Develop and strengthen the human resource base and level of expertise in biosafety on a national and

regional scale, in support of biosafety management and national biosafety systems in the Caribbean;

• Improve and consolidate biosafety information management within the Caribbean project countries in

a way that can promote transparency, raise public awareness and facilitate biosafety decision making,

and be up scaled to provide broader regional information services as needed, and if possible, establish

links to information sources.”

The regional portion of the project aims to support the establishment of a region-wide mechanism for

coordinating and supporting countries in biosafety management by providing them with training on

biosafety risk assessment and the management of LMOs.

[1] Guadeloupe and Martinique, as overseas departments of France, may be exceptions to this statement.

[2] CBATO Islands participating in the UNEP/GEF project are Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica,

Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. The other CARICOM

participants are Belize, Guyana, and Suriname.

According to various sources, this may lead to a Regional Biosafety Clearing House (BCH) to support

and coordinate exchange of information. The regional process also aims to strengthen institutional

capacities, provide technical guidance on biosafety issues and assist with the implementation of NBFs.

National activities of the project will also support the establishment of the necessary legal and

institutional frameworks, public education programs, and training necessary for effective and sustained

implementation of the CPB. Projected country-specific outcomes include establishing:

• Functional NBFs in line with the CPB and the national and regional needs of each country;

• Functional national systems able to detect LMOs and perform risk assessments;

• Functional systems to monitor the environment and enforce regulations;

• National systems for biosafety information management while stimulating public awareness, biosafety

education, and participation in the decision-making process.

The project, which was started in November 2012, was originally scheduled to be completed by

December 2015. However, due to various factors, the project deadline was postponed. According to

UWI’s project management, country level activities have concluded and regional level activities are

expected to wrap up by late 2017 or early 2018. In addition to the project’s conclusion being pushed

back, the realization that the timeline for enacting biosafety legislation in each country could not be fully

controlled led to the redefinition of an important project output. Rather than countries being expected to

enact biosafety legislation, the current expectation is that the draft legislation will be ready for

Parliamentary approval in each country. To date, only St. Kitts and Nevis has passed its Biosafety Act

while all others have been working to make their draft legislation “Parliament-ready.” It is important to

note that Barbados and The Bahamas never signed the project partnership agreement with UWI, and

Suriname signed the agreement quite late into the project. This precluded these countries from drawing

on any project funds for national level activities and thus fully participating in the project. These

countries opted toward transferring their project country funds to the regional component of the project

in order to reap some tangential benefits from the project.

UWI’s project management intends to hire a consultant in January 2018 to develop a proposal to be

presented to UNEP/GEF for a follow-up project to help participating countries enact their biosafety

legislation. Once the legislative framework is in place, the expectation is that the Caribbean

Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA), a CARICOM organization, would be charged

with regional follow-up, harmonization, and sustainability of biosafety regulatory efforts.

At the regional level, progress is being made toward a “Center of Excellence in Biosafety”, which will

serve as a virtual information hub. The Center will encompass three areas:

• A regional roster of experts to provide assistance to countries where expertise does not exist, and to

harmonize risk assessment processes in the region by pooling existing resources. The list will include

experts proposed by the participating project countries which will constitute the ad hoc Regional

Advisory Panel for Risk Assessment.

• A regional network of laboratories to support the national regulatory agencies (Agricultural,

Environmental and Food Safety agencies), as it relates to the implementation of those provisions within

biosafety legislation being developed by countries to: (i) deal with the surveillance of LMOs and LMOs

for Food, Feed and Processing (LMO-FFPs) entering or leaving the country; (ii) monitor the contained

use of LMOs or LMO-FFPs, where necessary; and (iii) comply with any other provision relating to

biosafety for which laboratory testing is required.

• A Master of Science (MSc) Program in Biosafety as a means of capacity building to support the

biosafety efforts of project participants. In 2014, UWI initiated a graduate program in biosafety,

offering an MSc and a Postgraduate Diploma in the field. The first cohort of students graduated from

the program in 2015 and the second wave of students is currently in the program. This program will

help to expand biosafety capacity in the region.

The following table shows the general status of the biosafety legislation of the CBATO countries

participating in the UNEP/GEF project.

Country Status of Legislation (as of October 2017)

Antigua and Barbuda Draft legislation is not “Parliament-Ready”

The Bahamas Draft legislation has yet to be developed

Barbados Draft legislation has yet to be developed

Grenada Draft legislation is “Parliament-Ready”

Dominica Draft legislation is not “Parliament-Ready”

St. Kitts and Nevis Legislation passed.

St. Lucia Draft legislation is “Parliament-Ready”

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Draft legislation is not “Parliament-Ready”

Trinidad and Tobago Draft legislation is not “Parliament-Ready”

Note: Although not part of the CBATO region, Belize and Guyana are also reported to have their draft

legislation “Parliament-Ready’, on the other hand Suriname’s draft legislation is not “Parliament-

Ready.”

Source: UWI project management.

In addition to the UNEP/GEF project efforts, CARICOM is attempting to harmonize regional biosafety

policies within the region. In October 2017 a draft regional biosafety policy was reportedly submitted to

CARICOM’s Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) for review and approval. It is

unknown at this point if and when the harmonized policy will be approved.

b) Approvals:

Without the legal and regulatory frameworks being in place, no GE plants or crops have been approved

or registered in the region for cultivation, import, or export.

c) Stacked or pyramided event approvals:

The same holds true for stacked or pyramided events. Moreover, such events are not contemplated in

CARICOM’s draft regional policy. A scientific risk assessment would need to be conducted before any

approval or registration would be considered.

d) Field Testing:

No field testing of GE crops is currently taking place.

e) Innovative Biotechnologies:

The use of innovative biotechnologies (such as genome editing) in plants or plant products has not been

fully contemplated in national legislation or regional policy. Thus, even when proposed biosafety

regulatory systems become operational, the regulatory status of such biotechnologies will be

undetermined and will likely require further assessment.

f) Coexistence:

Although no rules are currently in place for coexistence of GE and non-GE crops, it is worth noting that

individual countries in the region have indicated that once biosafety regulatory systems become

operational, they will want to retain decision-making on this matter at the national level rather than at

the regional level.

g) Labeling:

As a general pragmatic approach to trade (in recognition of the large volume of food imports from the

United States), project participants have reportedly agreed to implement voluntary rather than

compulsory negative labeling requirements for foods containing GE ingredients. Labeling legislation

would need to be approved before implementation could take place by the appropriate labeling

enforcement authority in each country.

h) Monitoring and Testing:

As part of the UNEP/GEF project, the region has developed testing capability for LMO events. At the

country level, participating countries have acquired lab equipment and trained lab personnel to conduct

basic testing. UWI also has three regional labs with more advanced equipment, which national labs can

use to conduct more advanced tests or validate their results. As a third option, the region would rely on

accredited U.S. reference labs. Despite developing this capability, it is unknown if countries in the

region are currently conducting any testing on imported or exported products. Certainly no trade has

been affected by any monitoring or testing.

i) Low Level Presence (LLP) Policy:

The draft regional biosafety policy calls for countries to implement a 5 percent LLP.

j) Additional Regulatory Requirements:

Not applicable.

k) Intellectual Property Rights (IPR):

Given the lack of commercial production of GE crops in the region, Post is not aware of any GE-related

IPR issues.

l) Cartagena Protocol Ratification:

Nine of the countries in the CBATO region are parties to the CPB, and while they are all in the process

of trying to meet their obligations under the protocol, none has fully implemented it to date.

Status of Ratification and Entry Into Force of the CPB

Date of

Signature

Date instrument of ratification or

accession was deposited

Accession

Mode

Date of entry

into force

Antigua and

Barbuda

May 24,

2000

Sep 10, 2003 Ratification Dec 9, 2003

The Bahamas May 24,

2000

Jan 15, 2004 Ratification Apr 14, 2004

Barbados Sep 6, 2002 Accession Sep 11, 2003

Dominica Jul 13, 2004 Accession Oct 11, 2004

Grenada May 24,

2000

Feb 5, 2004 Ratification May 5, 2004

St. Kitts and Nevis May 23, 2001 Accession Sep 11, 2003

St. Lucia Jun 16, 2005 Accession Sep 14, 2005

St. Vincent and the

Grenadines

Aug 27, 2003 Accession Nov 25, 2003

Trinidad and

Tobago

Oct 5, 2000 Accession Sep 11, 2003

Source: Convention on Biological Diversity website (http://bch.cbd.int/protocol/parties/#tab=0).

Please refer to the table in PART B, sub-paragraph a, for information on the status of each country’s

biosafety legislation. As part of the UNEP/GEF regional project for implementing NBFs in the region,

UWI is working with a consultant from the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and

Biotechnology (ICGEB) in Trieste, Italy, to develop implementing regulations based on each country’s

draft legislation.

m) International Treaties/Forums:

We are not aware of the region or any individual CBATO islands of coverage taking positions pertaining

to agricultural biotechnologies, the use of such technologies, and products thereof in other international

treaties/fora.

n) Related issues:

None.

PART C: Marketing a) Public/private opinions:

As part of the UNEP/GEF project, participating countries engaged in “awareness raising activities” at

the national level to educate the public on biosafety, biotechnology, bio-security and invasive species.

The project also supported stakeholder consultations as part of the national processes to enact biosafety

regulations. Nonetheless, overall awareness of agricultural biotechnology and GE products is quite

http://bch.cbd.int/protocol/parties/#tab=0

limited. There is no public discussion on the matter and there are no NGO’s or public campaigns

lobbying for or against agricultural biotechnology, albeit for planting GE crops or consuming foods

derived from GE crops.

b) Market acceptance/studies:

There are no significant marketing issues that currently affect U.S. agricultural products. However,

Dominica, which exports organically grown crops to niche markets in Europe, may have concerns that

coexistence with any biotech material introduced into their small island environment could jeopardize

their exports to Europe. This concern may be a factor in shaping Dominica’s regulatory environment

and could possibly have a marketing impact on some U.S. products in the future. On the other hand,

Dominica was devastated by hurricane Maria in September, 2017. The effect of the hurricane on

Dominica’s agriculture and on possible subsequent changes in the biosafety positions of the Dominica

government are unknown at this point.

CHAPTER 2. ANIMAL BIOTECHNOLOGY:

PART D: Production and Trade a) Product Development:

The Caribbean region is not yet developing animal genetic engineering or cloning of animals. Although

there has been some biotech research in Barbados on Blackbelly sheep, the region is far from having the

capability to engage on specific animal biotechnology projects. However, experts in the region believe

that an expansion of animal breeding using conventional and new embryo techniques as well as DNA

techniques to characterize regional species would be a positive development. The use of molecular

techniques to identify genes for breeding purposes will be high on the research agendas of several

countries in coming years.

On a related topic, in 2016 the Government of the Cayman Islands, through its Mosquito Research &

Control Unit (MRCU), partnered with the UK based biotechnology firm, Oxitec, to collaborate on a

“Friendly Aedes aegypti Mosquito Project.” Aedes aegypti is a vector for Dengue Fever, Chikungunya,

Zika (which has been linked to nervous system disorders and birth defects such as microcephaly), and

Yellow Fever. The project uses a pioneering technique involving GE male mosquitos to fight Aedes

aegypti. The GE males, which cannot bite, are released into the wild to mate with female Aedes aegypti,

producing offspring that die before reaching maturity. The GE males also die within a few days. The

end result of the project is a greatly reduced Aedes aegypti population. MRCU’s collaboration with

Oxitec goes back to 2009, when field releases of the GE mosquitos were conducted in Grand Cayman to

test the safety and efficiency of the technique. The current project’s operational deployment of GE

mosquitos began in July 2016, and initial results (as of January 2017) indicate an 88 percent decline in

Aedes aegypti egg collection in traps located in the treatment area. So far, the Cayman Islands is the

only country within the CBATO region of coverage employing biotechnology in its fight against

mosquito-borne disease.

b) Commercial Production:

Not applicable.

c) Exports:

Not applicable.

d) Imports:

Not applicable.

e) Trade Barriers:

Although there are no known barriers to trade, it is believed that animal health and food safety

authorities would treat requests for imports of GE animals, livestock clones, and offspring of clones or

products from these animals, with an abundance of caution prior to granting import approval.

PART E: Policy a) Regulatory Framework:

The UNEP/GEF Regional Project for Implementing NBFs in the Caribbean pertains to plant

biotechnology only. There is no regulatory framework for animal biotechnology.

b) Innovative Biotechnologies:

Not applicable.

c) Labeling and Traceability:

Not applicable.

d) Intellectual Property Rights (IPR):

Not applicable.

e) International Treaties/Forums:

Not applicable.

f) Related Issues:

None.

PART F: Marketing a) Public/Private Opinions:

As mentioned earlier, overall awareness of agricultural biotechnology and animal biotechnology

specifically, is quite limited. There is no public discussion on the matter and there are no NGO’s or

public campaigns lobbying for or against agricultural biotechnology. However, it is believed that the

public is more sensitive to animal biotechnology and would treat issues related with livestock clones,

offspring of clones, and GE animals with greater caution.

b) Market Acceptance/Studies:

There are no studies that we are aware of regarding marketing of animal biotechnology products in the

region. Overall acceptance of animal biotechnology by government regulators, producers, the trade and

consumers remains unknown, but as mentioned above the subject is likely to be treated with a great deal

of caution.

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